My Story

03.03.2013

We picked Puppy up as a frightened little girl seemingly afraid of everything except dogs. Along our 5 hour ride home , she finally took a treat from her new mother and showed there was hope.

Since then, slowly (at times very slowly) with patience, love & support she began to see the world as less threatening.

Puppy is our only "adopted " dog. I truly cannot write in words what she means to me.

The joy of seeing her play ball for the first time.

The feeling of love from her never ending hugs and kisses from a dog that used to sit on the couch too afraid to move other than to go outside or in her crate.

She means the world to our family. She seems like she has been with us forever.

Two weeks after her adoption, Puppy came down with pneumonia and had to be hospitalized for 3 days. We thought we were going to lose her. She came home with a slight fever and very thin. We had to monitor her fever for the next few days ensuring that the meds we were giving her were working. The first day she came home from the vets I brought her in my bed to take a nap with me . Every now and then she would wake up and look up at me as if to see I was still there with her. I would pat her and tell her she was home. That's when I knew that she understood she had found her home.

She was not a good eater, as her foster Mom Gina told me. Puppy was very thin and trying to get her to eat was a real challenge. Through trail and error I finally got her to eat more. She became stronger and started getting better.

We don't mean to brag, because we had nothing to do with it-people tell us she is one of the prettiest dog's they have ever seen!

07.08.2011

Just wanted to let everyone know how much progress our little Gem has made. She had to go stay by Aunt Dee while I was on vacation and did wonderfully. This gives me confidence she will transition into her new home with ease. Gemma MUST live with another confident male dog. This is not an option. While she has made tremendous progress from the day she was dropped off to me 2 months ago, she is not 100% the blossoming young lady she has the potential to be. She will still need that other dog to give her the confidence she needs to interact normally. This may one day go away or it may not. It only hinders her when my males dogs are not around. If they go inside first and she isn't right there following, she will not come to me. If I bring one of my boys back out, she immediately comes to me. Adopting Gemma will require patience and understanding of her background and first 7 months of life. She had no human contact and she is hesitant about humans. She does come around and once another dog shows her its all good and there are no worries, she is right there in on the petting action or attention. Gemma is crate trained, housebroken, eats well twice a day and LOVES to be outside. She is learning to walk on a leash but isn't great at it yet. She is not aggressive at all, hangs with big and little dogs and is very quiet. She hasn't barked here really much at all. She's not really into toys but does like to be pet of course and run around with my dogs. There are still some noises inside that startle her, I wouldn't say she's a scaredy cat, just unsure....unfamiliar.....hesitant. But she does come around and has. It is just a slow process. I can guarantee you though, once this sweet puppy girl is adopted and settled into her own home and her people give her all the attention and all the love, she will continue to become a wonderful dog.

05.20.2011

Gemma was spayed this past Monday and the vet suggested some holistic/natural liquid supplements for her. One is a confidence booster and the other is a calming (not sedative) essence. WOW, I've been giving them to her since Monday and what a huge change I've seen in her. I mean she seriously could just be coming out of her shell and getting used to us. She's still a nervous wreck and darts in and out of the house at breakneck speed but she's been coming out of the crate when I leave the crate door open and joining us in another room. She's been trying to interact more with my dogs and if I approach her the right way she won't cower. I have to be really aware of how I approach her so that she can have the ability to come or stay without cowering. I forget because my boys come willingly if I just say their names. She responds when I call her puppy, but we are all calling her Gemma so she knows her name. It saddens me how these dogs were ignored and given no chance to be loved.

She is not food motivated but has started to respond when I talk to her. She comes running in from the yard when I call her but then just can't come inside willingly. I can either coax her in if she's right on the heels of my dogs or I have to go get her. I've been trying to lead her in by her collar and sometimes she puts the brakes on and I have to drag her a little. Its that or pick her up. But I've been trying to not do that. I want her to walk in so eventually she does it willingly. She's eating fine, she has stopped flipping her bowl, I feed her in the crate so she gets to eat all her own food. She sleeps thru the night without a peep, maybe a whine once in a blue moon, once during the night, but she settles right back down. She loves to be pet when she has the courage to come to me. I continually show her that if she comes to me she gets pet or loved or kissed or talked to nicely.

Its very frustrating that basic normal things that you expect from a dog are not the norm with her. We are all patient and never yell at her or get mad. We continually encourage her and praise all accomplishments.

This pup will eventually make a wonderful pet. She MUST go to a home with another dog. Several would even be fine as long as none are too domineering or rough. She only ever knew life with her mom and siblings so she totally comes out of her shell when she is with other dogs. She wags her nubby and is playful.......outside. That is another MUST. A nice big yard where she can prance and play. She totally comes alive outside. She doesn't mind the rain or being out there for hours. If its nice and the dogs are outside all day, she loves it.

I think with the right home she will blossom. It doesn't have to be a quiet home or with adults only. She will eventually be able to handle the hustle and bustle of a busy active home, as long as the family understands her limits, and if they work with her, she will get past them and flourish.

She's so pretty and really just as sweet as can be. She needs to go to her forever home soon so she can bond with them and learn to trust and respond to them. Get those applications in.

05.04.2011

Gemma arrived last Saturday on a transport up from the south with her brothers and mother. It was heartbreaking for the mother to see the last of her pups separated from her as this litter stayed together for 7 long months. I stuck my fingers in the crate and told her I would take care of her little baby girl and that we would make sure all her pups went to good homes.

Gemma is truly a "gem". She has made leaps and bounds of progress since Saturday! She is leery and unsure of everything. She does like outside and will play and run around alone and be totally content. When I open the door for her to come back in, she wants to. She truly wants to, but up until just an hour ago wouldn't. No matter how much i coaxed her, I'd eventually just have to go out and pick her up and bring her in. She finally started coming in when I tell her too. Not consistently, but randomly. She will only approach me if I'm crouched down but once she comes she stays and lets me pet her. She doesn't have any fear like that, so I don't think they were ever hit or anything, just sadly ignored. She slinks around a lot and will flatten herself if she is unsure or nervous. She is fine in the crate and has some bouts of howling/crying at night and during the night when I think she realizes she's without her mommy. Its so sad and nothing I can do can compensate for that. But what we are doing here is loving her and being kind to her and showing her things she has never had the experience to witness before! lol My dogs and the dogs I'm watching are all running around and playing, and she totally looks like she wants to join, but is still unsure. She loves my husband and will lick his nose and let him pet her. She wags her nubby when any of us try to interact with her. Noises startle her, sudden movements startle her, and basically all normal household life startles her. She figured out how to navigate the stairs the first day and has not had 1 accident in the house. She knows to go outside and not in her crate or in the house. I can say with confidence that she is both crate trained and house broken. She is eating her meals if I mix a little wet in with the kibble and doesn't appear to have any aggression with her food. If I forget and leave a blanket in there she will knock the food over and bury it. If I remember to take the blanket out, she eats no problem. I've been doing my best to take the blanket out so she can stop that habit. She's very, very sweet and totally lovable and with patience and kindness, she will make a fantastic pet. I think she needs a home like mine, with kids in the 9-13 age range, someone home to interact with all day and a yard. She loves outside, she may eventually be the kind of dog you take for walks, but she is def going to need/want a fenced in yard. Its her roots, its where she came from, I think we should continue to provide that comfort for her. Its the only thing familiar and safe to her.